Police probing ‘strange events’ in Snapdeal employee abduction case

The probe into the abduction and release of an employee of e-commerce major Snapdeal is focusing on “strange events” narrated by the 24-year-old victim, police said on Saturday, lending a touch of mystery to an incident had which left many baffled.

The victim, Dipti Sarna, had returned home on Friday morning and said four men who had abducted her 36 hours earlier released her and left her at a railway station.

She had gone missing after she was allegedly whisked away from an autorickshaw in Ghaziabad when she was returning from work on Wednesday evening.

“We are not denying her statements. But we are looking for solid evidences,” said Dharmendra Singh, senior superintendent of police (SSP) at Ghaziabad.

According to Dipti’s initial brief to police, she was driven In an i-10 car and made to walk long distances, kept in a sugarcane field the next day before the abductors decided to leave her at a suburban railway station near Narela.

“Initially, we cannot conclude whether the incident was with purely criminal intent or not. There are many things which are verifiable. There are a lot of strange things like abductors leaving her at a railway station and also making her walk 30-40km. These are being verified,” the SSP added.

After she arrived from her Gurgaon office on February 10, Dipti had shared an auto from outside Vaishali metro station. She said the auto broke down halfway at Mohan Nagar, forcing the passengers to board another auto to the old bus stand in Ghaziabad. But minutes later, the only other woman passenger in the auto was forced to get off at knifepoint by the four men in the vehicle, somewhere near the Hindon river, she said.

The men allegedly snatched Dipti’s bag and mobile but not before a friend she was speaking with on the phone heard her scream.

Dipti’s last mobile location was found near a secluded area leading to Raj Nagar Extension.

The police say that they have found it strange that the driver of the second auto got involved with the three other abductors.

“She was told that they wanted her to meet someone. We have not counter-questioned her so far as she needs rest,” the police official added.

She had also told police that the abductors told her they knew about the brand of chips she liked. Officials said that they are also on lookout for the men in the auto and will also scan former friends of the victim in connection with the case.

On Friday her family did not allow reporters to speak to her over the incident saying she was “too tired”. She was also sent for a medical examination to the district hospital.

“She only agreed to external examination where no injuries were found,” said Avnish Gautam, station house officer at Sihani Gate police station.

The family had said on Friday that the four men treated her well after the initial assault in the auto and put her on a Delhi-bound train, handing her a Rs100 note.